Ember Island Truths
by Jakia
Summary: After The Gaang experiences bad breakups one right after another, Aang and Sokka devise a way to win back their girls: A love potion, of course! This can't end well... Zuko/Katara, Aang/Toph, Sokka/Suki and Mai/Ty Lee
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Ember Island Truths

**Author:** Jakia

**Word Count:** 1,611

**Part:** 1/3

**Pairings:** Eventual Zuko/Katara, Toph/Aang, Sokka/Suki, and Mai/Ty Lee.

**Summary:** After the Team Avatar experiences some really bad breakups one right after another, Aang and Sokka devise a way to win back the hearts of their girls: A love potion, of course! Unfortunately, things don't go as planned, and an unexpected effect of the potion may cause some _real_ feelings to get reveled.

**A/N:** _**THANK YOU JADE FOR BEING A COMPLETELY AWESOME BETA!**_ Without her this fic would be much harder to read because I fail at grasping things like simple grammer.

* * *

_One year after the final battle…_

Aang blamed Zuko and Mai for starting it. If their relationship hadn't been so rocky, if their relationship hadn't _always_ been so rocky, then maybe none of this would have happened in the first place.

But no, Zuko and Mai just _had_ to break up. For good this time. (They had been on-again/off-again for a year now, but this time they both swore it was for good.) Because she _didn't care_ that the peasants were starving, and he did. Oh, he _cared_ that the peasants were starving, enough to miss their anniversary, their _public_ anniversary, which was enough to humiliate Mai in public, which was enough for Mai to put forth the effort of yelling at him, which was enough for Zuko to yell back, and by the end the day they hated each other's guts and wanted nothing to do with each other.

If only it had ended there.

But no. Mai and Ty Lee were friends, so as soon Zuko and Mai were officially done for, Mai traveled all the way to Kyoshi Island to talk to Ty Lee. By talk, they obviously meant "bitch about every creature with a penis," because that's what obviously happened. By the end of the night, the island itself was breakup central, due to the excessive hatred of The Men and how they just didn't have Feelings and how they never understood how Important Anniversaries Are.

If only it had ended there.

But no. Ty Lee was a Kyoshi Warrior now. And you know who else was a Kyoshi Warrior?

Suki.

And while Suki didn't take part in the nightly discussions of Man-Hate, she did overhear a lot of them. She ignored it for the most part—those poor girls didn't have the luxury of having Private Wang Fire/Sokka of the South as their boyfriend. And then the worst thing that could possibly happen at that point in time, happened:

Sokka forgot to write to her.

At first, she brushed it off. Then, after three weeks of no contact, she started to tear up a little (_does he not like me anymore?)_ and at that point, Ty Lee walked in to see Suki crying. Any other point in time, Ty Lee would have given Suki some logical, feel-good pick-me-ups. His letters just got lost. He must be busy.

But since the entire week had been dedicated to Hating the Men and We Don't Need Them and Their Stupid Boy-Parts, Ty Lee instead called up her friends (re: every female on Kyoshi Island + Mai) and they had an obscenely large girl's night. By the end of the evening, Suki was so cheered up that she decided that if Sokka couldn't bother to write to her, well, she would just have to put forth the effort to write to him. And by write to him, she clearly meant dump him, because that's what happened.

If only it had ended there.

But no. What kind of girl breaks up with a boy without first consulting his sister? So Suki traveled to the South Pole, hell-bent on Breaking Sokka's Heart (which she did) and having a nice cup of tea with Katara. Here's where the details got a little fuzzy, because the only people who knew the details of that conversation were, in fact, Suki and Katara. But Aang reasoned that it couldn't have been a very pleasant conversation, for the very next time he and Katara saw each other, their conversation went about like this:

"I think we should see other people."

What. The. Hell? "What? Why?"

She fumbled a bit with her hair, which he noticed was in Fire Nation style once again. "I just--I feel like our relationship isn't going anywhere, and while I do care about you, I don't think I feel the same about you as you do about me, and I think we should see other people

He blinked at her. "But—but I've done nothing wrong! But…No! We aren't breaking up! Why are you doing this?"

And then he kissed her, hoping it would somehow make everything better.

Then she snapped.

"OH GOD WHY DO YOU _ALWAYS DO THIS?!"_ she screamed at him. "EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I WANT TO DISCUSS TO SHORTCOMINGS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP, YOU SEEM TO THINK A LITTLE KISSING MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER! WELL I'VE GOT NEWS FOR YOU! IT DOESN'T! IN FACT, ALL IT DOES IS REMIND ME OF HOW IMMATURE AND SELFISH YOU CAN BE!" She threw something at his face. "WE'RE THROUGH!"

He frowned. "B-but Katara! I love you!"

If she had been a firebender, steam would have been leaking out of her nose. "If you really loved me, you'd respect my opinion and treat me like a human being, not a prize that you won."

She then slammed the door in his face, and that was that.

This brought them to the current point in time, which involved Toph laughing her head off.

"Why are you here again?" Sokka asked gloomily. "Shouldn't you be with the girls, talking about how awful we are?"

"Oh, I tried." Toph continued laughing. "But apparently since I'm still single and haven't broken up with a guy recently, I just don't understand the heartbreak they're all going through. It's probably 'cause I defended Sokka."

Sokka sniffed. "Thanks, Toph."

Aang blinked. "But you didn't defend me?"

Toph shrugged. "Nah, I figured you deserved what you got. Sugar Queen deserves better than your pansy-ass."

"Gee, thanks Toph." He scowled bitterly. Was the entire universe against him?

"As tragic as your stories may be," Zuko interrupted. "I'm still not getting back together with Mai."

Sokka dropped his cup of tea. "But don't you get it? It's all your fault! You and Mai broke up, so me and Suki broke up, so Aang and Katara broke up! We're like, tied together or something! We're a matched set!"

Zuko snorted. "Maybe we should try different pairs."

"Yeah," Toph agreed. "I mean,_ I'm_ not in your little matched set, and I think we'll all agree that I'm the most important person here, you know."

"Either way," Zuko continued, "your theory is flawed. Mai and I have nothing to gain by being together. Maybe you should analyze the problems with your own relationships before assuming that it's all my fault."

"So you aren't going to help us?" Aang pleaded.

"Nope. Sorry, but you're going to have to solve your own problems."

Toph smiled. "I agree with Sparky. Sorry guys, I'll catch you later!"

And then they left, leaving Sokka and Aang alone, which was probably their first mistake.

"They just don't get it." Aang said softly. "We love Katara, and Suki. And I'm sure deep down--"

"I kinda doubt that."

"--really, really, deep down, Zuko loves Mai, too!"

"…Really, _really_ doubting that."

Aang huffed. "The point is, we can't let this little…stumbling block ruin our relationships for good! We need to do something! Something to make our girls fall in love with us again!"

Then the wheels began to turn, and suddenly Sokka Had A Plan.

* * *

The plan was fundamentally simple. Buy a love potion—just a small one. Then, throw a party inviting all of their friends together, obviously on Ember Island, because that was where all the best parties were to be had. Pour the love potion in their drink. Then, strategically place all of their friends so that they sat across from their partners so that when everyone drank the potion, the first person they saw (or heard, in Toph's case) would be their love interest. Then, by the time the love potion wore off, everyone would be back together with their partner and everyone would be happy!

It would have worked, maybe, if a couple of people hadn't gotten there early.

"Oooh, is that fruit punch?" Zuko said before grabbing the glass straight out of Aang's hand. "Let me take a drink of it."

"ZUKO NO!!"

Zuko stopped with the glass mid-way between the air and his mouth. "What?"

Aang was suddenly faced with a moral dilemma. Either reveal their plan, of which Zuko would not approve and the entire thing would be ruined, or allow Zuko to fall in love with someone other than Mai.

"Uh, it's my glass?" Aang said weakly. "I've already drank out of it?"

Zuko snorted. "Whatever. I don't care about getting your germs."

Zuko then gulped the entire thing in one drink.

Aang held his breath.

And then…

"Zuko!" the voice of an over-enthusiastic waterbender called out. Zuko turned and looked straight at her as she ran towards him to envelope him in a hug.

Aang imagined how it must have looked from Zuko's point of view. How, when she ran, her loose hair flew around her just so. How the lighting from the open windows highlighted all of her wonderful features. How her soft curls bounced softly like koala-sheep fur. How her eyes sparkled like the deepest blue diamonds. How her skin was always the color of that ridiculously sticky candy Bumi gave him that one time. How everything felt as though it was moving in slow motion, up until the point where her arms circled around his neck.

Aang observed Zuko carefully. He watched how, when Katara pulled away from the hug, there was a _spark_ in Zuko's eyes, like he just now realized how wonderful a person Katara truly was.

Aang felt a little crushed, and stomped away to find Sokka.

"We have a problem," he said, bursting his way into the kitchen. "Zuko drank the potion, and is in love with Katara."

Sokka snorted. "So? What's the problem?"

"_I'm in love with Katara!"_

"And?" Sokka laughed. "The potion only lasts 24 hours. All that's going to happen is Zuko's going to follow Katara around for the night, and then when he wakes up in the morning, he'll think of her as a friend. Besides, this is Zuko we're talking about. He's not going to do anything major."

Aang frowned. "I hope you're right."

"I'm always right." Sokka smiled, before wrapping his arm around Aang. "Besides, we're on Ember Island. What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

The worst was only yet to come.

"So, Zuko, uh, how are you?"

The older boy shrugged. "Fine. Have you seen Katara?"

Aang's left eyebrow twitched. "Why do you want to see Katara?"

Zuko shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to talk to her. She looks really pretty tonight."

Jealously stung a little. "She's looks pretty every night."

"Yes. Yes she does." Zuko laughed. "But tonight she's beautiful, and I don't know why."

He had to stop this before it got out of hand. "Wait. You shouldn't talk to her. She and I just broke up—"

"I'm not going to marry her!" Zuko, yes, _Zuko_ giggled. "I just want to talk to her. _Though marrying her doesn't sound all that bad…"_

Aang shuddered at the thought. "What are you _talking_ about?"

"I use to have a crush on her, you know?" Zuko said, smiling. "Back, when we first met, after Ba Sing Sei. I hurt her so badly—I wanted nothing more that to earn her forgiveness. I would have jumped through hoops if it meant she forgave me."

All was quiet for a moment.

"You aren't--you aren't _still_ into her, are you?"

Zuko laughed in a way that seemed entirely too fake, even for Zuko. "What? Of course not. I mean, I know you like her, and…I won't do anything, I promise. I mean, I'm waaay over her, that was just a crush, and…Well, it doesn't matter. It was just a crush."

As happy as Aang was to hear that, it didn't sound right.

"Hang on, I forgot, I have to go ask Sokka something…"

Zuko shrugged. "Sure. I needed to talk to Katara, anyway."

* * *

Aang flew until he found him. "SOKKA!"

"What?" the warrior asked, irritated that Aang had interrupted his conversation with the ever-flirtatious Ty Lee. Aang ignored Ty Lee and grabbed Sokka by the arm.

"We need to talk."

"But I was just—"

"_Now_."

The two boys slunk back to the kitchens in a hurry.

"What's the problem, Aang?" Sokka asked, yawning. "Has Zuko started making out with Katara yet?"

Aang frowned. "That's just the thing, Sokka, I'm not sure if we got a love potion after all."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean—" Aang began sourly, "that I've been following Zuko around all night, and he's been…different."

Sokka seemed unimpressed. "That's 'cause he's in love. He'll get over it in the morning."

"You aren't listening to me!" Aang argued. "He kept talking about how he use used to have a crush on Katara, but how he never acted on it. It was almost like the potion reminded him of how he _used_ to like her."

Sokka sighed mournfully. "You aren't going to let this go, are you? Fine, let's go look at the potion…"

* * *

_New Reveal-All! _

_The latest in potion technology, this is a love potion unlike any other! Rather than forcing your beau to fall for you, why don't you remind them of why they fell for you in the first place? When your chosen partner drinks the potion, they will suddenly be reminded of any positive attractions they have for the first person they see or hear. All subconscious or suppressed feelings will suddenly be revealed!_

_**Warning: Side-effects include dizziness, irrationality, hyperactivity, nausea, headaches, erectile dysfunction, and schizophrenia. Use only as directed. One dose is good for up to twenty-four hours.** _

"Well, the lady at the store said it was good."

Aang pursed his lips. "Huh. I guess it works for what we need, I was just expecting something more…instantaneous."

"Yeah, but it works, too, because unless they have some sort of hidden feelings for someone, it won't do anything," Sokka said cheerfully.

Aang nodded. "Yeah, I mean, the fact that Zuko use to have a crush on Katara is just a fluke--I mean, who would have known Zuko had a crush on her?"

"Oh, I knew that." Toph jumped in, scaring the two boys.

"Toph!" Sokka yelped. "W-what are you doing back here?"

The Blind Bandit shrugged. "I was going to see if there was any more fruit punch."

Aang and Sokka stared at one another. "Wait--the fruit punch on the table _in here?_"

Toph rolled her eyes. "No, dipshit, I drank the one on the floor. _Of course I drank the one in here_, silly!"

Aang and Sokka held their breath. This could not be good.

"Do…Do you feel any different, Toph?" Sokka asked wearily.

"Yeah, I feel fine." The girl shrugged innocently. "Though is Twinkletoes alright? His voice sounds different. It's all deep and manly and stuff. It's kinda sexy."

Aang fainted.

* * *

End Chapter

A/N: This was written because Nick is publishing a book called Love Potion #8. Unfortunately, it seems Kataang-y, and that's just not the way I roll. If you're going to do a love-potion book, you need to do it the right way: With Zutara! _Because that's the way I roll._

Bonus!**  
ALTERNATE SCENE:**

"We have a problem," he said, bursting his way into the kitchen. "Zuko's in love with Katara."

Sokka snorted. "So? What's the problem?"

"_I'm in love with Katara!"_

"And?" Sokka laughed. "The potion only lasts 24 hours. All that's going to happen is Zuko's going to follow Katara around for the night, and then when he wakes up in the morning, he'll think of her as a friend. Besides, this is Zuko we're talking about. He's not going to do anything maj--"

"_MY HEART BURNS FOR YOU!" _And then there was Zuko, standing in the center of the table, shirtless, with a flaming heart over his head. "I LOVE YOU, KATARA!"

Sokka's jaw dropped. Aang's brain melted.

So much for that excuse.

XXX

END

(for real this time)


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Ember Island Truths

**Author:** Jakia

**Word Count:**4,532

**Part:** 2/3

**Pairings:** Zuko/Katara, Toph/Aang, Sokka/Suki, and Mai/Ty Lee.

**Summary:** After the Team Avatar experiences some really bad breakups one right after another, Aang and Sokka devise a way to win back the hearts of their girls: A love potion, of course! Unfortunately, things don't go as planned, and an unexpected effect of the potion may cause some _real_ feelings to get reveled.

**A/N:** _**THANK YOU xlovelylightx and Nephthysmoon for being awesome and speedy betas!**_

This chapter is a doozy; it goes lulz, drama, romance, lulz, and then some angst.

Also, it's my first time even _attempting _to write yuri--be nice.

* * *

When Aang woke up again, Toph and Sokka were standing over him.

"Uh, you okay, buddy?" Sokka asked, more amused than concerned. "You kinda passed out on us there."

"Yeah, way to wuss out like usual." Toph smiled, punching him hard in the shoulder, her own special way of showing affection.

It was strange. Even though Aang knew Toph would soon fall madly in love with him (thanks to the potion that seemed to have a special quality for making Aang increasingly miserable), she was still just Toph, and was acting completely normal.

_Maybe she doesn't have secret feelings for me?_ Aang thought curiously. The thought was like a double-edged sword. On one hand, if she didn't have secret feelings for him, that was one less problem the potion had brought for them. Yet on the other hand, it sort of stung to know that nobody in their little gang had feelings for him that derived from the usual friendship, even if it was just an awkward and possibly one-sided crush.

"You're spacing out again." Toph hit him a little harder this time. "Do you feel alright, Twinkles?"

Aang blinked. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine."

Toph didn't seem convinced. "You aren't lying…but you aren't being completely honest, either. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just…worried."

"'Bout what?"

_Quick, think of something!_ "Uh, you, actually. You drank that fruit punch, and we think it might've gone bad."

If Toph noticed he was lying, she didn't act like it. "Awww, Twinkles…" She said amiably, her face turning a light pink. "That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me!"

Aang could feel the blood rushing to his face. "Well, you're my friend. Of course I'm going to worry about you."

She leaned over and planted a nice big wet one right on his cheek. "For that, I'll forgive you for lying to me just now."

She then hit him a little lighter a third time on his other shoulder. As she walked away, Aang couldn't help but notice the slight sway of her hips, something that must have occurred in the past year or so.

Sokka whistled.

"Man, I know you're madly in love with my sister and all, but if I were you, I'd chase her down and _tap that _while you still have the chance."

The thought was mildly tempting. Aang hated to admit it, but Toph was pretty. Not in the drop-dead-gorgeous-sparkling eyes pretty Katara was, but pretty nonetheless. It was a sort of hidden beauty, one you had to look past all the dirt and tough-talk to find. The fact that she seemed to _like _him, really _like-like_ him, was really flattering and made his heart beat a little faster.

And then he remembered that Katara was his One True Love (even if she didn't know it half the time), and shook the thought away.

"Yes, but I love Katara, Sokka. I know she's the girl for me, and once I convince her that we're made for each other, I'm sure we'll live happily ever after!"

"Whatever," Sokka shrugged. "You go keep an eye on Unexpected Lovers #1 and #2, I'll stay here and guard the potion."

XXX

By 'guard', he obviously meant 'nap by'.

(What? He was _tired_. All this drama had worn him out. Plus, he was a growing boy, and boys needed their rest.)

Either way, it made Ty Lee giggle as she walked right by him.

"Aw, so cute!" She said, tiptoeing over him to get the glasses sitting on the table. She and Mai had been _dying_ of thirst since they got here, so Ty Lee had snuck to the kitchens to get something to drink. When she saw the glasses sitting on the table unceremoniously beside Sokka's sleeping body, she assumed the glasses were meant for them. So she patted Sokka on the head cheerfully, grabbed two glasses of what she assumed was fruit punch, and almost walked right into Suki on her way out.

"Oh good!" Suki said smiling. "You found drinks! Everyone's been so thirsty…"

Ty Lee nodded, and kicked the door back open with her foot. "Yeah, they're right back there, beside Sokka."

Suki's eyes narrowed at Sokka's name, but still nodded and followed the direction of Ty Lee's foot.

Ty Lee, meanwhile, continued her journey to find Mai, only to find her seething in Zuko's general direction.

"Look at him," Mai seethed. "Look at how sodding _happy_ he is. He was never that happy with _me_."

Ty Lee winced as Mai's aura grew steadily blacker and blacker. "Now now, Mai, I thought we were past this. You don't need him, and he doesn't even deserve you."

Mai's posture changed just slightly in retaliation. "You're right. I don't need him, the jerk." She the plucked the glass straight out of Ty Lee's hands. "Thank you, Ty Lee."

"Aw, you're welcome!" Ty Lee said cheerfully as Mai guzzled the entire drink in one sitting. "'Sides, I never thought the two of you were that great of a couple, anyway. I don't think he ever really did appreciate you like he should have."

Mai didn't answer. Instead, Mai just sort of stared at her. It kind of freaked Ty Lee out a bit.

"Oh no, you're staring! Do I have something on my face? Get it off, get it off!" Ty Lee began searching around frantically for a mirror before Mai stopped her.

"You don't have anything on your face, Ty Lee." Mai said with a gentle smile, an unusual presence on the unemotional girl's face. "In fact, you're rather beautiful."

Ty Lee blushed at the compliment. It was so unlike Mai to point things like that out, but it was a nice change. Ty Lee enjoyed it, certainly.

"Thank you, Mai." The teenaged girl said, surprisingly somber. "You aren't that bad looking yourself, you know? I'm sure you'll find a nice guy somewhere to appreciate you."

"What if I don't want a guy?" Mai whispered shyly, her pale face turning scarlet. "I mean, never mind me, Ty Lee. I'm just being stupid. It's just, you've been such friend to me, and most friends wouldn't go through what you've gone through for me, and I feel like I haven't appreciated you enough and--"

Ty Lee lifted up one finger and pressed it against Mai's mouth, silencing her. "It's okay…" she whispered, her face turning as red as Mai's was. "I--I like you too."

So when Mai leaned in to kiss her, deeply and unashamedly, Ty Lee kissed back just as boldly, her glass on the table left abandoned and untouched, the potion never needed for Ty Lee's already-present feelings.

XXX

If only every pair had been so lucky…

Sokka woke up to Suki's foot in his chest.

"OW!" He yelped. "What was that for?"

Suki's glare was searing. "I can't believe you would be so _lazy_. You planned this party just to sneak to the back to _sleep?_"

"Of course not!" Sokka jumped up clumsily. "I was guar--uh, never mind. I guess I just fell asleep on accident."

Suki raised her eyebrow, but decided against questioning him. "Whatever. I just came back her to get something to drink."

She then brushed past him and grabbed a glass off the table before taking off.

It took Sokka a few seconds to figure out exactly what had happened.

_Shit!_ He thought, and chased after her.

"Suki, wait, don't drink that!" His ex-girlfriend stopped in her tracks, whirling around to face Sokka.

"Why? I'm thirsty, and if you give me some stupid reason--"

"It's a love potion," Sokka blurted out before he really thought about it. "I was going to have you drink a love potion to fall in love with me."

Suki stared down at the glass then gazed back up at Sokka, then back down at the glass again. "You—you were going to use a love potion on me?" She blinked, unsure of her feelings right now. "I--I—what made you stop me from drinking it?"

Sokka took the glass out of her hand and sat it down on the table next to them. Time for his moment of glory, his Oscar-winning performance for Best Delivered Sappy Romantic Speech. Sokka _lived_ for this sort of glory.

"Because I love you, Suki," he answered honestly. "And I want you to love me. And I guess I've realized that I want you to love me out of _real_ love, not something I forced you into. I just wanted to get back with you so _bad_ that I was willing to do anything to win back your heart, though now I realize it's something you should give freely. And I'm sorry I forgot to write to you, but I guess it's too late for that…I just hope that maybe someday you can forgive me, and maybe even love me again."

Suki's icy exterior melted before Sokka's eyes. _Hook_.

"Oh, _Sokka_." Suki wiped a tear from her eye. "Did you really mean it?"

"I meant every word." _Line…_

The next thing he knew was Suki's warm arms engulfing him, her soft lips tangled with his own. _Score!_

When the two of them wandered off to find some nice 'privacy' time, it never occurred to him that he had left a full glass of the love potion unguarded and out in the open where anyone could pick it up…

XXX

"I think I'm going to go talk to Katara," Zuko said brightly, standing up with the intention to win over the fair maiden's heart. "Maybe the two of us can get together some time, and do an activity or something."

Aang pushed Zuko back in his chair. "No, you can't do that."

"But why not?"

Aang seethed. "Because Katara and I just broke up, and that would make you look rather insensitive, don't you think? Besides, you wouldn't want me to start dating Mai, would you?"

Zuko looked around the room for his ex-beau, and then chuckled. "If you want her, you can have her!" He pointed over to the two teenaged girls trading spit. "You may have to pry her away from Ty Lee, though."

Aang's face turned as red as Zuko's armor. "_That's not the point and you know it!"_

Zuko kept laughing. "Whatever. I'm still going to go talk to her. You don't have to follow me around, you know. Go bother someone else."

Then Zuko left, leaving Aang clueless as to how he managed to leave so stealthily, and alone. _At least Katara hasn't taken the potion_. Aang thought optimistically, daydreaming about Zuko trying to flirt with Katara, only to have Katara freak out and severally injure him.

XXX

What Aang hadn't known was that Katara _had_ taken the potion. When Sokka had sat Suki's drink down, effectively stopping her from drinking it, he had left an unguarded glass full of the potion just sitting there. All Katara had seen was Sokka putting the glass down. And, well, she was thirsty. And Sokka was her brother. She had drunk after him so many times it wasn't even funny.

So when Katara walked up to the table and picked up Sokka's disregarded glass, nobody thought to tell her that the drink was, in fact, a love potion, and that drinking it would bring forward any suppressed romantic feelings for the first person she saw or heard.

Which is why she was caught so off guard when Zuko ran up to her, eager to talk to her about seemingly nothing.

When he ran, his hair bounced and flourished like some male protagonist off of the cover of those ridiculous romance novels that she _did not read damn it._ His golden eyes sparkled like rays of sunlight, shining just for her. His scar, which she barely noticed anyway, seemed more subdued, like it had shrunk somehow.

"Kataaarrrraaa," he purred, his breath smelling sweet. "I must say, you look amazingly sexy tonight."

She could swear his bulging triceps winked at her. _Hi there, _they said dreamily, ignoring the fact that Zuko was wearing not only a long-sleeved shirt but also a coat of heavy armor.

At least, that's what Katara thought she saw and heard. What Zuko really said was:

"Katara," He said, smiling in a dorky fashion. "You look really pretty tonight. I mean, you look pretty _every_ night, but there's something really special about you today, I think it's your hair."

Katara didn't hear that. And if she did, she didn't hear it in the high-pitched, talking-entirely-too-fast voice Zuko was currently speaking in. Instead, she heard it in the deep, sultry sound Zuko used on her once before…_I'll save you from the pirates…_

"Did you do something to your hair? Or maybe it's your dress, and the way it fits your sha--never mind. Anyway I just wanted to say Ithinkyou'reprettygoodbye."

As he turned and walked away (most likely out of embarrassment), Katara couldn't help but notice what a shapely butt Zuko had.

XXX

"I want to freeze Zuko to a wall, tear off all his clothes, and screw his brains out."

Toph spit out her drink. "Okay, you know what? I could have lived my _entire life_ without knowing that. Why did you tell me that?"

Katara shrugged beside her companion. "I don't know. I had to tell _someone_."

"Why not Suki?" Toph offered gingerly.

(In her mind, Katara imagined what it would be like if she _had_ asked Suki.

"You have the hots for Zuko?" the Suki in her mind said smugly. "Freeze him to a wall and fuck his brains out."

Mental!Katara squirmed in her seat. "But what if he doesn't _like_ me?"

Mental!Suki smiled a vicious smile. "Like a said, freeze him to a wall and fuck his brains out. He'll start to like you, I _promise_.")

Katara frowned. "I think she would have been a little too honest. Besides, I need some advice."

This girl was seriously coming to _Toph_ for romance advice? What was _wrong_ with her? "Well, if you like him, you like him. Why don't you just tell him?"

Katara bit her lip. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Pride, mostly," Katara admitted honestly. "See, if I jump Zuko, it makes me look desperate and needy. Plus, I look insensitive because I just broke up with Aang."

Toph rolled her eyes. "Then, I dunno, wait? I didn't even know you had a thing for Zuko, anyway."

"I didn't," Katara confessed. "But he's wearing his armor today. And the last time he was that close to me wearing his armor, he tied me to a tree."

Toph bit her lip uncomfortably. "And that makes you want to…sleep with him?"

"Oh, you have _no_ idea." Katara swooned.

"Right. Unfortunate as it is, I don't care about your relationship problems. Go, I dunno, make out with Zuko or something."

Katara pinched her teasingly. "Oh, fine, be that way."

And she left, leaving Toph alone in peace and silence for roughly thirty seconds.

Then Zuko plumped down beside her unexpectedly.

"I want to fuck Katara against a wall hard and fast, and I don't know why," he said by way of a greeting, as though that was something all friends talked about.

Toph broke the glass she was holding.

"Well, I'm sure she feels the same way. Maybe the two of you should go sort out your problems rather than _telling me these things I don't want to hear!_"

Zuko fidgeted nervously. "But I don't think she likes me like that--"

"I'm _sure_ she does!"

"And besides, I can't go to her _now_," Zuko explained breezily. "If I jumped her, I'd look desperate and needy. Not to mention insensitive, because I just broke up with Mai."

Toph just kind of stared wordlessly. _Did they…did they just __**quote**__ each other?_

"Plus, she's my best friend—"

"What am I, chopped liver?"

Zuko turned towards Toph, concern written all over his face. "I have four best friends, mind you, and I love you all _equally_."

Toph snorted. "Except for Katara, who you want to fuck against a wall."

"Yes," Zuko said without missing a beat, seemingly missing her sarcasm. "I'm afraid our friendship may suddenly become rather strained if that were to happen."

Toph twitched. "Is your drink alcoholic?"

Zuko stared down at the cup in his hand, suddenly worried. "I dunno, I found it in the back behind the other drinks. Probably…Why? What does that have anything to do with what we were talking about?"

Toph didn't answer; she just grabbed the glass from Zuko's hand and guzzled it down in one fell swoop. She put the now-empty glass back in Zuko's hands firmly.

"Here. Solve your own damn relationship problems. I don't care."

Toph couldn't explain it then, but she had a sudden desire to see Twinkletoes. She wanted to see him. She wanted to grind him in the dirt and make him tell her what he was lying about this morning. She wanted to hit him for making her blush, for making her unsure. She wanted him to stop obsessing so much with Sugar Queen and to start paying attention to the girls around him, girls like her.

Mostly, she wanted to kiss him, and she had no idea why. The thought of kissing Twinkletoes had never occurred to her. To her, Twinkletoes was almost genderless, a chaste monk without hormones or a working sex drive. She hadn't thought about Twinkletoes as an actual _boy_ in years, not since she first met him, when he encouraged her to escape from the prison she had called a home for years. Back then, she liked to pretend that Twinkletoes was her knight in shining armor, that he had whisked her away from her overbearing parents only to run away with her into the sunset on top of a flying bison.

_That_ little fantasy, however, had died a rather painful death the moment Aang had shown that Appa clearly meant more to him than Toph ever would. And call her selfish, but Toph liked to think she was worth more than a smelly bison, even if he was Aang's only living connection to his nomadic ways.

But now, for some stupid, _stupid_ reason, she was entertaining the thought of kissing him. Maybe more, if the kiss went well.

Quite frankly, she didn't see a reason _not_ to. Katara had made it _quite clear_ that she didn't want anything to do with Aang romantically, and really, a bit of kissing might cheer the boy up.

Luckily, unlike most of her kind, Toph was a woman of action, and if she wanted to do something, and there was nothing particular harmful stopping her, the she would go after it.

So she walked up to Twinkletoes, grabbed him by his stupid monk-ish collar, and pulled him in for what had to be the most surprising kiss of his life.

It was nice, Toph thought, her lips pressed against Twinkles'. His mouth was warm and inviting and tasted like some sort of fruit. It was a nice kiss, though it should have been deeper, should have had more meaning.

Should have had less of Aang pulling away.

"Toph," he sounded really confused. "Why--why did you do that?"

She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. "Isn't it obvious?"

He pulled away slowly. "Toph, I--I'm sorry, I just don't feel the same way."

She punched him in the chest and smiled. "It's alright, Twinkletoes! I was just messing around with you! Like I'd actually _like_ you, anyway!"

She whirled around as fast as she could, hoping he didn't see her cry.

XXX

Aang stood there dumbfounded.

Never in a million years would have he imagined Toph Beifong walking up to him, kissing him senseless, and then leaving in a fit of tears.

(Toph could cry? _Seriously?_ The thought made him feel really guilty.)

_It's for the best, though._ He thought soberly. It was better to break her heart now than to lead her on, only to have tomorrow revealed that she didn't really like him like that anyway. It was for the best, even though it hurt, because Toph was a _really good_ kisser for a blind girl, even better than Ka--

He stopped what he was thinking and stood up. No more, he thought depressively--time to do what he had set out to do in the first place--to make Katara fall in love with him again.

And he knew just the person to help him find her…

XXX

"So Mai and Ty Lee are still making out, I see," Aang said gingerly, plopping himself down beside Zuko, trying not to let his despair show.

Zuko took a long gulp from his glass, which Aang was beginning to suspect had alcohol in it. "You have _no idea_ how many times I've had that dream."

Aang figured he could have lived his entire life without knowing that.

The pair sat there in silence, waiting and watching as the two teenager girls' sucked face. It showed how depressed Aang was that he wasn't more aroused than this. (What? Ty Lee was _hot_.)

Finally, Zuko spoke up. "What's wrong with me?"

Books could be written about what all was wrong with Zuko, but Aang decided to give the guy a break. "Nothing. Why?"

"This should be hot," he mumbled. "This should be the hottest thing I've ever seen. I've spent many nights dreaming about this exact thing, and now it's happening and I don't care."

Aang shrugged. "Maybe you just have other things on your mind?" Aang certainly did.

Zuko planted his face into his hands. "I know! All I keep thinking about is how wonderful Katara is and how _hot_ it would be if she were in the middle of Mai and Ty Lee and how much I lo…"

Zuko gasped; Aang's eyes bugged out.

"What were you about to say?" Aang screeched lowly, trying not to draw attention to them. For some reason, it was very important that Aang hear what Zuko was about to say.

Zuko let out a small breath he hadn't know he had been holding. "How much I…love her."

Aang punched him in the face.

It was a spontaneous reaction, Aang figured, but one he wouldn't take back for the world.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Aang screamed, yet still keeping his voice relatively quiet. "I love her! A few weeks ago, you were dating Mai and you were _happy--"_

"I'm _never_ happy."

"—and I was with Katara and Sokka was with Suki and we were all _happy_ and--"

Zuko pursed his bloody lip. "We must not have been too happy, seeing as we all broke up within a few weeks of each other."

Aang's eyes narrowed. "That doesn't mean we weren't happy--that's all your fault, by the way. Breaking up with Mai, causing her to go to Ty Lee, who caused Sokka and Suki—"

"You keep mentioning these events like they're related." Zuko pushed himself off of the floor. "They aren't. What didn't work between Mai and me has nothing to do with you and Katara."

Aang narrowed his eyes. "Then why did Katara break up with me after talking to Suki? Why did she dump me then, huh?"

"Maybe talking to Suki gave her the courage to do something she's wanted to do for a while," Zuko said coolly. "Perhaps it made her realize that, despite how _happy_ and perfect everything was suppose to be, she herself wasn't really all that happy."

The words stung deep within his core. The fact that he had loved and adored Katara for so long had become second nature to him. The thought that Katara didn't return his feelings was a foreign concept.

"I love her," Aang said firmly, unwilling to admit how much Zuko's comment had unnerved him. "And she loves me. I'm sure of it."

Zuko raised his lone eyebrow curiously. "How? Has she ever told you so?"

"She doesn't have to!" Aang growled. "I _know_ she loves me!"

"Oh yeah?" Zuko crossed his arms. "How many times has she kissed you?"

Aang flayed his arms around wildly. "Thousands of times! We kissed all the time!" It was a mild exaggeration--Katara was always a bit awkward with the kissing, seeing as she was still a bit taller than him.

Zuko shook his head. "You misunderstand me. How many times has _she_ kissed _you_?"

It was such a _stupid_ question, yet Aang struggled to come up with an answer.

The silence was unnerving.

"Give me one time," Zuko said smugly. "Give me _one time_ that she initiated the kiss, and I—"

"Ba Sing Se." Aang spoke out. "After the war, at Ba Sing Se. We were standing on the balcony, and she kissed me, and we've been happily together ever since."

Zuko's eyes narrowed until they were nothing more than thin slits of gold. "You never gave her a chance to say no, did you?"

Aang steamed. "She could have said no any time she wanted!"

Zuko scoffed. "Of course she could have, I mean, look at how you've behaved ever since the two of you broke up! No wonder she didn't break up with you before, if you've acted like such an immature—"

"_Just because I used a love potion to make her--_" Suddenly Aang realized what he said, and his hands flew up to his mouth, hoping to cover his mistake.

But Zuko had heard every word.

"You've got five seconds," he breathed heavily "To explain to me what you just said. Because if it's what I think you just said, Avatar or not, I will beat you to a bloody pulp." Zuko breathed steam. "How dare you. I honestly cannot believe what I just heard. You would use a _love potion_ to _make_ Katara fall in love with you? That's low, Aang. That's pathetic. You wouldn't even let her choose--"

"_But Katara didn't take the potion!"_ Aang squeaked, feeling oddly small with Zuko towering over him with a look of rage in his eyes.

"You did!"

XXX  
END


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